Combination hand power tool and floor polisher



Jan. 10, 1961 J. J. KowALEwsKl 2,967,314

COMBINATION HAND POWER TOOL AND FLOOR POLISHER Filed Jan. 3l. 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 JoH/v J Kawa/.swam

BY A am M HIS ATTORNEY Jan- 10, 1961 J. J. KowALEwsKl 2,967,314'

COMBINATION HAND POWER TOOL AND FLOOR POLISHER 3 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed Jan.

HIS ATTRNEY 2' INVENTOR JoH/v J'. /foWnLEws/f/ B/Y/v Jan. 10, 1961 J. J. KowALl-:wsKl 2,937,314

COMBINATION HAND POWER TOOL AND FLOOR POLISHER Filed Jan. 3l, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. JOHN J. KowgLfwJ/,

v/ f a T4/3M H15 ATTORNEY United States Patent O COMBINATION HAND POWER TOOL AND FLOOR POLISHER .lohn J. Kowalewski, Riverside, Conn., assigner to Electrolux Corporation, Old Greenwich, Conn., a corporaltion of Delaware Filed Jan. 31, 1957, Ser. No. 637,396

8 Claims. (Cl. 15-28) My invention relates to a combination hand power tool and a oor polishing device.

A hand power tool, that is a motor driven tool intended to be held in the hand, should be as small and light as possible in order that it may be easily held and manipulated, whereas a floor polishing device should be relatively heavy so that the necessary force required for polishing may be applied to the bristles or other polishing means.

In accordance with my invention the combined device consists of two principle parts. One is a housing containing the motor, preferably an air driven turbine, and a gear reduction for driving an output shaft. This shaft may be used to drive various rotating tools, such as twist drills, sanding discs or the like when the device is used as a hand tool, or to drive a rotary polishing disc when the device is used as a floor polisher. The second part consists of a relatively heavy ring member detachably securable to the first part so as to add substantial weight when the device is used as a floor polisher. This ring preferably carries stationary polishing means, such as a ring of bristles which are arranged to contact the floor, and which of course are removable with the heavy ring when the device is to be converted to a hand power tool.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and of which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2, showing the combined device;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the device shown in Fig. 1 with Some of the parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the lines 3 3 of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a view, partially in cross-section, showing a detail of the device shown in the preceding figures;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a perspective bottom view showing a detail of the combined device shown in the preceding figures;

Fig. 8 is a top View of the heavy ring member separated from the remainder of the device;

Fig. 9 is an end view of the ring shown in Fig. 8; and

Fig. l0 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the hand power tool with a tool holding chuck secured in place'.

Referring to the drawings, reference character 10 designates generally the hand power tool device, while reference character 12 designates generally the heavy ring member, weighing for example in the neighborhood of seven pounds.

The hand power tool 10 includes a housing having a body portion 14 and a cover portion 16 secured together by means of a plurality of bolts 1S, as shown in Fig. V5. Between the parts 14 and 16 there is disposed a band 26 which has a portion 22 forming a gasket between the 2,967,314 Patented Jan. 10, 1961 two parts, a portion 24 serving as a bumper, and a vportion 26 which serves as a gasket between the hand tool 10 and the ring 12.

A turbine shaft 28 is rotatably mounted in ball bearings 30 in the body portion 14. Secured to the upper end of this shaft is a turbine wheel 32 carrying blades 34, the wheel being arranged to rotate within a lturbine chamber 35 formed in the cover 16. A portion of the cover is formed with a vaned inlet opening 36 through which air is drawn and directed by the vanes to impinge at the proper angle on the blades 34 to thus cause rotation of the turbine wheel. A plate member 38 separates the turbine chamber 35 from a gear chamber 40 formed in the body 14. A lip 42 on band 20' holds the plate member 38 against an internal seat formed in the body 14 near the upper edge thereof, the lip 42 effecting a substantially dust tight seal with the plate. This plate is formed with an opening 44 through which extends the shaft 28 and a flinger 46 is lsecured to the turbine wheel 32 just above this opening for the purpose of preventing as far as possible the passage of dust through the opening and into the gear chamber 40.

A pinion 48 is secured to the shaft 28 and, as shown, may be formed integrally with the turbine wheel 32. This pinion meshes with a gear 50 mounted on a shaft 52 rotatably supported in a bearing 54 carried by the lower wall 55 of the member 14. This bearing is preferably made of sintered metal such as bronze, impregnated with a solid lubricant in order that the lubricant will not be drawn or forced out of the bearing by the sub-atmospheric air pressure existing within the gear chamber 40 during operation of the device. A cap 56 is secured within the opening of the body 14 below the lower end of shaft 28 and serves to keep dirt out of the ball bearing 30 and also serves to prevent the difference in air pressure from drawing the grease out of the ball bearing.

The body 14 is formed with an outlet opening 58 to which is secured a conduit 60, the outer end of which is adapted to be connected to the suction conduit of a domestic vacuum cleaner. Operation of the vacuum cleaner causes a current of air to flow inwardly through the opening 36, to impinge upon the blades 34 of the turbine wheel, and thence to flow in the path indicated by the arrows downwardly and into the conduit 60. Inasmuch as atmospheric air is drawn into the turbine chamber 35, a certain amount of dust will also be drawn in, and it is important to prevent as Afar as possible the entrance of this dust into the gear chamber 40. For this reason, there is provided the plate 38 sealed by the lip 42, and the flinger 46 on the shaft 28 adjacent to the opening 44 in the plate.

The lower end of shaft 52 is provided with a tapped bore 62 and also carries a hub member 64. A hollow pin 66 extends through the hub member and the shaft 52 in a direction at right angles to the axis of the shaft. A sleeve 68 surrounds hub 64 and is formed with a pair of inclined slots 70, one of which is shown in Fig. 4, through which extend the opposite ends of pin 66. Secured to sleeve 68 is a llange 72. ri`wo springs 74 extend from the ends of pins 66 to the outer edge of flange 72 and tend to rotate the sleeve 68 and flange 72 relative to the hub 64 in a direction such as to cause the pin 66 to occupy the upper ends of the slots 76. During rotation of the shaft 52, the sleeve 68 and flange '72 will normally rotate with the hub 64, but if the sleeve and flange encounter sufcient resistance to overcome the tension in the springs 74, the sleeve may rotate slightly relative to the hub, the inclination of the slots 7 0 causing the sleeve to move upwardly on the hu-b. Thus, 'there is a yieldable drive between the shaft 28 and the sleeve 68. This arrangement is not novel per se in the present applica'- 3 tion, but is disclosed and claimed in Patent No. 2,609,555, issued September 9, 1952, to Emil Anderson.

A rotary polishing disc 76 may be removably secured to the flange 72 by means of a pair of slidably mounted latches 78 Which are engageable with slots 80 formed in the flange. Spring arms 82 tend to move the two latches 78 radially outwardly so as to cause the noses 83 of the latches to extend beyond the outer ends of the slots. The latches maybe moved radially inwardly by applying the thumb to the end of one of them and a finger to the end of the other and squeezing them towards each other to move the noses 83 into alignment with the slots 80, whereby the disc 76 may be removed from flange 72. The disc 76 carries polishing means, such as the serpentine strip of bristles 84.

The ring member 12 is preferably made of heavy metal such as cast iron and is formed with an upper surface 86 which is adapted to seat against the lower surface of the gasket portion 26 of the band 20. The rear upper part of the ring 12 is formed with a recess 88 which ts snugly around the outer surface of the conduit 60 so that when the ring is applied to the tool the presence of the conduit in the recess properly locates the ring and prevents relative rotation between the two in a plane normal to the axis of the shaft 52. As is shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 7, two latch members 90 are pivotally secured to the ring 12 and may be shifted so as to engage slots 92 formed in a skirt portion 94 extending downwardly rom lower wall 55 of body 14. The edge 96 of each slot 92 is inclined slightly, as is shown in Fig. 7, so that if the latches 90 are pivoted into the slots a wedging action takes place for securing the ring member tightly against the gasket portion 26. The latches 90 are provided with nger grips 98 which are useful for manipulating the latches.

lt will be noted that the ring 12 has a portion 100 which is disposed between the polishing disc 76 and the gasket 26 and that the inner diameter of this portion 100 is less than the diameter of the polishing disc. Consequently, should the latches 90 accidentally become loosened during operation of the device, and the device be thereafter lifted from the floor, the heavy ring 12 cannot fall cornpletely away from the hand tool portion 10, inasmuch as the portion 100 of the ring cannot pass over the polishing disc 76. This is of importance because the ring 12 is sufficiently heavy so that it could cause a painful injury, should it fall on the operators foot.

The lower portion of the ring 12 is of greater diameter than is the polishing disc 76 and has removably secured thereto a circular ring of bristles 102 which surround the bristles 84 of the disc 76. This portion of the ring 12 also carries a bumper 104 which extends outwardly so as to prevent the metal ring from striking or marring furniture legs or the like with which it accidentally may be brought into contact.

When serving as a floor polisher, the ring is assembled to the power tool, as shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3 and the polishing disc 76 is secured to the flange 72. 'The conduit 60 is connected to a source of suction, such as a vacuum cleaner preferably through a flexible hose and a rigid conduit, the latter also serving as a handle for moving the polisher over the oor. The flow of air produced by the vacuum cleaner will cause the turbine wheel 32 to rotate at high speed and the polishing disc 76 will be caused to rotate at a slower speed, but with more power because of the torque multiplication provided by the reduction through the gears 48 and Si). It will be noted that the lower ends of the bristles 84 and 102 normally are disposed in substantially the same plane and consequently the weight of the ring 12 produces substantial friction between both of these sets of bristles and the oor, thus producing a good polishing effect as the device is moved back and forth over the oor during use.

However, should the friction between the rotary bristles S4 and the floor become too great, due for ex ample to a rough oor surface or the application of thick wax, this will cause the disc 76 and the sleeve 68 to lag rotationally behind the hub 64. As previously explained, the pin 66 and the inclined slots 70 will cause the sleeve to move upwardly with respect to the hub 64, thus reducing the friction between the rotating bristles 84 and the lloor, inasmuch as the bristles 102 remain xed and thus sustain a greater proportion of the weight. As is explained more in detail in the above-mentioned Patent No. 2,609,555, this causes the torque delivered to the rotary brush to remain substantially constant, thus preventing stalling of the disc.

When it is desired to use the device as a hand tool, the polishing disc 76 is removed from the flange 72 by squeezing the latches 78 inwardly, whereupon they may be withdrawn from the slots 80. When the disc 76 is removed, the latches are made accessible for manipulation and may be pivoted out of engagement with the slots 92. Thereupon the heavy weight 12, together with the stationary bristles 102 may be removed from the rest of the device. Thereafter, the threaded shank 106 of a chuck 108 may be screwed into the tapped bore 62 of the outer end of shaft 52, as is shown in Fig. 10. In well known manner any desired type of rotating tool may be secured in the jaws 110 of the chuck. It will be noted that the chuck and any tool carried thereby is driven directly from the shaft 52 and not through the yieldable drive provided by the springs 74 between the pin 66 and the ange 72. Due to the absence of the heavy ring 12 the remainder of the tool is relatively light, in the neighborhood of 2 pounds, and may be easily manipulated when it is to be used as a hand tool, the portion 24 of the band 20 serving as a bumper. On the other hand, when it is to be used as a floor polisher, where weight is highly desirable, such. weight together with the stationary bristles 102, which are necessary for the proper action of the constant torque drive, are readily provided by merely securing the ring in place.

While I have shown and described one or more speciiic embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that this has been done for the purposes of illustration only and that the scope of my invention is to be determined from the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. In a polishing device, a housing containing a motor, a drive shaft coupled to said motor and extending from said housing, a rotary polishing member mounted on and driven by said shaft and disposed so as to contact a surface on which said device is supported, a ring of substantial weight, hand manipulated means for removably securing said ring to said housing around said shaft, and ring-shaped stationary polishing means secured to and removable with said ring and disposed so as to contact said surface. f

2. In a polishing device, a housing member containing a motor, a drive shaft coupled to said motor and extending from said housing, a rotary polishing means mounted on and driven by said shaft and disposed so as to contact a surface on which said device is supported, a ring member of substantial weight, hand manipulatable means for removably securing said ring member to said housing member around said shaft, a band carried by one of said members and disposed so as to constitute both a gasket between said members and a bumper extending radially beyond said members, and ring-shaped stationary polishing means secured to and removable with said ring member and disposed so as to contact said surface.

3. In -a polishing device, a housing containing a motor, a drive shaft coupled to said motor and extending from said housing, a rotary polishing member mounted on and driven by said shaft and disposed so as to contact a surface on which said device is supported, -a ring of substantial Weight removably secured to said housing around said shaft, a band carried by said housing and disposed so as to constitute both a gasket between said housing and said ring and a bumper extending outwardly beyond said housing, and ring-shaped stationary polishing means secured to and removable with said ring and disposed so as to contact said surface.

4. In a polishing device, a housing containing an air motor, a drive shaft coupled to said motor and extending from said housing, a rotary polishing member mounted on and driven by said shaft and disposed so as to contact a surface on which said device is supported, an air conduit having a portion extending from said housing and disposed substantially parallel to a plane normal to said shaft, a ring of substantial weight removably secured to said housing around said shaft and having a recess for snugly receiving said portion of said conduit for preventing relative motion in said plane between said housing and said ring, and ring-shaped stationary polishing means secured to and removable with said ring and disposed so as to contact said surface.

5. In a polishing device, a housing having two parts, a motor in said housing, a drive shaft coupled to said motor and extending from said housing, a rotary polishing member mounted on and driven by said shaft and disposed so as to contact a surface on which said device is supported, a ring of substantial weight removably secured to said housing around said shaft, a band between the parts of said housing and disposed so as to constitute both a gasket between said parts and between said housing and said ring and a bumper extending radially beyond said housing, and ring-shaped stationary polishing means secured to and removable with said ring and disposed so -as to contact said surface.

6. In a polishing device, a housing containing an air motor, a drive shaft coupled to said motor and extending from said housing, a rotary polishing member mounted on and driven by said shaft and disposed so as to contact a surface on which said device is supported, an air conduit having a portion extending from said housing and disposed substantially parallel to a plane normal to said shaft, a ring of substantial weight removably securable to said housing around said shaft and having a recess for snugly receiving said portion of said conduit for preventing relative motion in said plane between said housing and said ring, a ring-shaped stationary polishing means secured to and removable with said ring and disposed so as to contact said surface, and a latch pivotally mounted on said ring and pivotal in said plane into engagement with a surface on said housing for preventing relative movement between said ring and said housing in a direction normal to said plane.

7. In a polishing device, a housing containing a motor, a drive shaft coupled to said motor and extending from said housing, a rotary polishing member removably mounted on said shaft and disposed so as to contact a surface on which said device is supported, yieldable means for driving said member by said shaft, a ring of substantial weight, hand manipulatable means for removably securing said ring to said housing around said shaft, ring-shaped stationary polishing means secured 4to and removable with said ring and disposed so as to contact said surface, and tool holding means removably mountable on said shaft so as to be positively driven thereby.

8. In a polishing device, a housing containing a motor, a `drive shaft coupled to said motor and extending from said housing, a rotary polishing member removably mounted on and driven by said shaft and disposed so as to contact a surface on which said device is supported, a ring of substantial weight, hand manipulatable means for removably securing said ring to said housing around said shaft, said ring having a portion disposed between said rotary polishing member and said housing, said portion having an inner diameter less than the diameter of said polishing member, said ring having another portion surrounding said rotary polishing member, and ringshaped stationary polishing means secured to said other portion and removable with said ring and disposed so as to contact said surface.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,392,623 Cheatham Oct. 4, 1921 1,412,729 Westin Apr. 1l, 1922 2,241,775 Forsberg May 13, 1941 2,318,960 Okun May 11, 1943 2,609,555 Anderson Sept. 9, 1952 2,727,262 Gerber Dec. 30, 1955 2,812,155 Woodruff Nov. 5, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 555,332 Italy Ian. 23, 1957 565,557 Germany Dec. 2, 1932 664,336 Great Britain Jan. 2, 1952 

